International Football History and Statistics

On this day in football history

• 1957 Jimmy Greaves made his debut in League football, for Chelsea at Tottenham, and scored his team's goal in a 1-1 draw. He joined Chelsea in 1955 at the age of 15 & 1/2 and in his first season scored 14 goals in 17 matches for the club's junior teams. The following season his scoring was so remarkable in the various competitions which the junior sides competed in that even the national sports writers took notice. In all matches he hit 112 goals in 56 games including 53 in 18 South East Counties League games, 9 in 4 FA Youth Cup-ties and 19 in 10 England Youth internationals. As his first class career progressed he gained a reputation for scoring on his first appearance for his club side in various competitions or for representative teams. This is not strictly true and of the more important tournaments in which he has appeared he did not score in his first FA Cup-tie against Doncaster Rovers in January 1958 nor in his first European Cup match for Spurs against Benfica four years later. His first appearance for the Football League side was also blank - this was against the Scottish League at Ibrox in October 1958. This should not detract from his wonderful feats which brought 300 goals in his first seven seasons in top football, League, Cup, Internationals etc. To the end of 1965-66 he had scored more goals at each England level in which he had appeared and topped his club's goalecorers in each season. In 1961-62 when he divided his season between Milano and Spurs he topped the list for both clubs.
• 1959 Queens Park, the Scottish amateur club and formed in 1867 departed from a black and white colour combination for the first time in their history in the match against Dundee United. They wore all black with red stockings.
• 1962 Johnny Haynes, Fulham and England captain, injured his legs in a road accident in Blackpool. The injury kept him out of the game for five months and also not only cost him the England captaincy but his international career came to an end. In eight years he had played 56 times but during his period of inactivity Alf Ramsey was appointed England manager and Haynes was never selected again.